I've been a casual fan of Kimya Dawson and the Moldy Peaches (and Adam Green, for that matter) for a couple of years now, but the recordings I've heard will never do justice to her live performance I saw tonight in Isla Vista at the Pink Mailbox. The often seemingly silly or absurd qualities of her lyrics, which juxtapose images both cute and grotesque, and the deceptive simplicity of her acoustic guitar chords, seemed infinitely more emotional and layered this evening as Kimya sang -- especially "Beer," which she sang after someone who may or may not have been drunk requested it from the audience, which she prefaced with words about her nine years of sobriety following her problems with alcohol and drug abuse. She also played songs she's recorded with Antsy Pants, a side project on Plan-It-X Records. Only real complaint: it was freezing outside as the sun went down!
Kimya and Adam Green recently attended the premiere of Juno, for which Dawson provided most of the soundtrack. That soundtrack will be released on January 15, 2008, and also features songs by the Velvet Underground, Buddy Holly, Belle & Sebastian, Cat Power and the Kinks, among others.
LISTEN:
"Loose Lips" [MP3]
ON THE WEB:
Kimya Dawson's website
Kimya Dawson's MySpace
Buy the Juno OST on Amazon
